


Nightmares

by amaranthe



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Campfires, Comfort, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 23:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4199091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaranthe/pseuds/amaranthe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mahariel has a taint-imposed nightmare, and finds Alistair at the fire who offers her some words and comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

Her heart pounded in her chest, sending hot blood racing through her veins. Every fiber of her being was on fire. She longed to join the frenzy, to throw her battlecry in with the cacophony of warcalls and snarls. The smell of blood and bile filled her nose.

Their army would be the greatest in the world, delivering pain and horror, slashing and cutting a path to the Black City for the master. The master promised blood and meat, promised glory. 

She shivered in excitement. A scream ripped through her throat as she crowed, her body alive with the night, her brothers in arms beside her, called to the bloodlust, to the blight.

=-=-=

Rana bolted up in her tent, shaking and cold with sweat. She drew deep, painful breaths and a strangled sob managed to escape her lips, as she wrapped her arms about herself. She wept, quietly in the dark, unable to understand the feelings that had so gripped her in her sleep. Her exhilaration over the horrors she would commit in the name of her- their master, and the pride of having those abominations at her side.

She took a shuddering breath. Drawing a blanket around her shoulders, she stuck her feet in her soft leather boots and crawled out of her tent. She shivered. Gooseflesh prickled on her arms and legs. The glow of the fire promised warmth and she set out towards it.

The flames were small, but provided enough light for her to identify who was on watch. There was no mistaking the templar as he stood in his armor, warming his hands over the fire. 

He looked over as she approached and frowned. "I didn't think my shift was over yet."

She sat on a log, buried her face in her hands and muttered tiredly, "It's not."

"Right, because I was going to say, you're clearly not dressed for it."

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. 

She wasn't sure what he saw in her face, in her mussed hair, strands still plastered to her face from sweat. His eyebrows knit together in concern as he simply said, "Oh," and sank to sit beside her.

She shivered again and tugged her blanket tighter around herself. He wrapped an arm around her, rubbing his hand up and down her arm in an effort to warm her up. A small ball of warmth fluttered in her belly.

"It was a nightmare, wasn't it?" His voice was quiet, gentle and comforting in her ears.

"Is that what that was?" She let out a weak bitter laugh. "Felt real enough." The stench of death and rot lingered in the air air around her, each breeze carrying it to her nostrils. She shuddered.

"That's the taint." He removed his arm and leaned forward, staring into the fire. She shivered at sudden absence. "You start having nightmares. About the darkspawn and what's to come." He tok a breath. "When mine started, I was really scared. Everyone was so kind about it though. They understand, because they have them too, you see. It gets worse as you..." He paused, long enough that she looked at him, his jaw set as he stared beyond the burning embers. "We didn't have a chance to tell you, did we? There was the Joining and then so many things happened." He met her gaze, the look in his eyes so sorrowful, so pained, she found herself dreading what he would say next. "The thing about the Joining, the... taint... is that you've got darkspawn blood flowing through you now. That's how we feel them coming, see them in our dreams." He took a deep breath. "It also cuts your life. By now you've got maybe 30 years left."

Her blood ran cold. It was as much to be expected, the taint was poison. It felled grown men just from the Joining ritual alone. But the ice in her veins was directed at the man next to her. She stared at him. "How could you have not told me?" Her voice was quiet, icier than she intended.

His eyebrows rose. "We never had the chance. We've been running and there's been fighting and killing and more running. And besides what would it change? We can't tell anyone before the Joining. There'd be no Grey Wardens to fight against the darkspawn. And you would have died otherwise. You had the sickness, right?" He ducked his head as she shot a glance his way. "Duncan may have told me."

She rested her chin in her hand and grumbled, "I suppose there's some truth in that." Echoes of the snarls and growls she heard in that cavern bounced around in her head, and the feeling of excitement threatened to bubble up within her. She crushed it down and dug her fingers into her arms. She laughed weakly. "Do you ever feel like you're becoming one?"

"Every night," he admitted quietly. "It's harder alone. It's a shame you didn't have the chance to meet everyone or stay at the keep. We were a rowdy bunch, but we were a family." He was silent then.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Alistair, it must be hard..." She set a hand on his shoulder for comfort but, truth be told, it comforted her more than anything. "We will rebuild."

"You're right. I'm sorry. Here I am, complaining all the time and you've got it worse. You haven't had a moment's rest since this all started. We've been on the road this whole time. And everyone looks to you for leadership."

She smiled, some of the tension easing away. "I don't actually mind being on the road. I'm Dalish, remember? It's pretty much all I've known. And I think I've found a family here with all of you."

He nudged her. "Yeah, but I'm sure you could do without all the killing and fighting and killing." 

He put his arm around her again, but only just slightly, resting it just behind her on the log. 

She leaned into him. "Do you mind if I keep you company for a while? I don't think I can go back to sleep just yet."

"I'd like that."


End file.
